Starfield isn’t just another open-world game—it’s a cosmic playground with mechanics that let you customize everything from your character’s traits to your very own celestial outposts. Among its varied gameplay elements, Starfield’s crafting system stands out as a highly innovative feature. Unlike conventional crafting mechanics focused on weapons or gear, Starfield allows you to construct buildings for Outposts and personalize apartments, alongside the standard upgrades and modifications for your equipment.
What is Crafting in Starfield?
Crafting in Starfield serves as the backbone for building Outposts and personalizing your living spaces. While stationed at an Outpost, you can craft generators, storage containers, resource extractors, landing pads for your spaceship, and even military defense towers. The crafting doesn’t stop there—you can also adorn your apartments with furniture, decorations, and display cases. Essentially, crafting in Starfield empowers you to tailor your experience to your own vision and strategy.
How to Start Crafting?
Your crafting journey will depend on your location—either an apartment or an Outpost. Crafting stations are sprinkled throughout the game, accessible in various places like your spaceship and at special locales like The Lodge. After approaching a crafting station, a menu will appear displaying different crafting options along with the required materials for each item. Some items also offer aesthetic customization. If you’re keen on crafting industrial items, you’ll need to find an Industrial Workbench.
Outpost Crafting
At your Outpost, you’ll need to switch to “Build Mode” via your scanner to initiate crafting. Here, your go-to items should be extractors for resource gathering and living quarters (habs) for accommodating your crew.
Apartment Crafting
Your apartment also has a crafting mode, accessed via the “Decorate” button near the entrance. The crafting interface here is essentially the same as the one for Outposts, making navigation a breeze. Storage containers and crafting stations should be your priority to maximize functionality.
Research and Skills
In Starfield, crafting is intrinsically linked with research. Labs for research can be found in various locations, including your starting spaceship and the ever-handy Lodge in New Atlantis. Research revolves around categories like Pharmacology, Food and Drink, Outpost Development, Equipment, and Weaponry. To start a research project, you’ll need to invest resources, and sometimes you may get “overflow” bonuses that complete other resource requirements for free.
Skill points in Starfield enable you to specialize in these research categories. These include:
- Chemistry (Science) for Pharmacology
- Gastronomy (Social) for Food and Drink
- Outpost Engineering (Science) for Outpost Development
- Spacesuit Design (Science) for Equipment
- Weapon Engineering (Science) for Weaponry
- Research Methods (Science) to make projects cheaper
Note that to level up these skills, you’ll need to complete specific challenges related to crafting and research.
Crafting Stations You Need to Know
- Cooking Station or Galley: For crafting food and drink.
- Industrial Workbench: Useful for converting raw materials into specialized items.
- Pharmaceutical Lab: Where you craft medical supplies and performance-enhancers.
- Spacesuit Workbench: For crafting and installing mods on your spacesuit, helmet, and boost pack.
- Weapons Workbench: Enables you to craft and customize weapon mods.
Crafting in Starfield is more than just an ancillary gameplay feature—it’s a tool for carving out your space in the universe, literally and metaphorically. Whether you’re fixated on establishing fortified outposts or simply want a well-furnished apartment, Starfield’s crafting mechanic is your pathway to personalized adventure.
